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September 10, 2016

An ode to a tampon would once upon a time have been understood as a mock ode, and none but a man would have written it

Olds is evidently in earnest and for that she will not be forgiven.
‘Ode to the Tampon’ is a litany rather than an ode, being no more than a series of epithets that garland the tampon with grandiose attributes. It would be surprising if a seventy-year-old poet had anything vivid to say about a tampon, and in fact we learn little more than that the object in question has a cardboard applicator and is made of cotton. The tampon is but one subject in a whole series of poems that might be described as gynaecological. This includes odes to the hymen, the clitoris, menstrual blood, the female reproductive system, the word vulva and the vagina. These poems might be regarded as a subset of a wider anatomical theme, involving withered cleavage, a hip replacement, wattles, unmatching legs, fat, stretch marks and toxic shock. Men are included with odes to the penis, the glans, whiskers and a ‘Celibate’s Ode to Balls’. These are not fascinating subjects; Germaine Greer - Ode Dear

Posted by gerardvanderleun at September 10, 2016 10:22 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

And remain so.

Posted by: Vermont Woodchuck at September 10, 2016 11:26 AM

Who knew, that the lowly cotton pony, could elicit such puerility, let alone that such drivel would be published and reviewed, glowingly.

Posted by: John Venlet at September 10, 2016 11:44 AM

And none but a white man invented it

Posted by: Bill Jones at September 10, 2016 2:51 PM

I remember when women had grace.

Posted by: ghostsniper at September 10, 2016 7:33 PM

Vogon poetry. Why won't these people go away?

JWM

Posted by: jwm at September 10, 2016 8:15 PM

I'm not clicking that, sorry.

Posted by: foodog at September 10, 2016 9:14 PM

In circa 1981, there was an "artiste" who called herself Barbara deGenevieve. She did photography featuring tampons. Tampons on the bumper of a car. Tampons on a dinner plate. Tampons everywhere. I wonder what happened to her ... but I don't actually care.

Posted by: A Nobody from Nowhere at September 11, 2016 12:13 PM

That's not art and it doesn't matter who says otherwise. No explanation necessary.

Posted by: ghostsniper at September 11, 2016 7:23 PM

Many women still have grace dear ghost. You just don't read about them on the internet much.

Posted by: pbird at September 13, 2016 7:36 PM

Most medical professionals would advice against the usage of Garcinia Cambogia supplements if you suffer from diabetes, hypertension, high-blood pressure and other heart related
ailments.

Posted by: Catherine at October 26, 2016 12:29 AM

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